20 Jul 2016

Liverpool midfielder Joe Allen is currently linked with an improbable £20m move to Manchester United, but given the enmity between the two clubs, the chances of that happening are slim to none. It's far more likely that Allen will sign for a mid-level Premier League club, and new reports today suggest that Stoke City are on the verge of sealing a deal.

"I like [Allen] and I really think he is a wonderful football player. I knew this before the European Championships. It is all about respecting contracts, negotiating or not - whatever - and making a transfer or not."

Actions speak louder than words, and if Klopp really believes Allen is 'wonderful player', and knew this 'before the Euros', then he would've played him much more often last season (only 19 starts all year, and that's in a season of 63 games).

Once again, though, this is typical Liverpool: Lots of other clubs are selling their players for ridiculous inflated fees, but the Reds can't even make a slight profit on a player who made the Euro 2016 team of the tournament. You couldn't make it up.

In my view, Stoke is a good move for Allen. He'll probably be one of the first names on the team-sheet, and Mark Hughes is an established, fairly progressive manager whose teams try and positive, passing football.